9 best cooling fans under £100 to use this summer

These reasonably priced desk, pedestal and handheld fans will help keep you cool this summer

(Photo: Swan Desk Fan)

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Most electric fans consist of a supporting base, an electric motor, a rotating set of blades called an “impellor”, and a blade guard. These components combine to safely channel air through the appliance.

Contrary to popular belief, fans don’t cool the air. Instead, they cool people by causing sweat to evaporate and increasing convection of heat from the body into the air.

If the air in your location tends to be very humid and close to body temperature, you may be better off using an air conditioning unit, capable of bringing down air temperature and humidity.

That said, the average air temperature in the UK over July 2018 was just 18.7°C. That’s well below body temperature, which is usually in the range of 36.5-37.5°C. This means fans can be effective even at the hottest times of year in this part of the world. They also tend to use far less electricity than aircon units do.

How to choose a cooling fan

In this article, we review examples of three common types of cooling fan:

Desk/table fan

Pedestal fan

Handheld fan

For home or office use, we recommend a desk or pedestal fan, either of which can be used for long periods hands-free. Your choice between the two should be based on the space available in the room, and the area the fan needs to cover.

If you have enough floor space and want to deliver a cooling effect throughout a wide area, a pedestal fan with an oscillation function (meaning it moves side to side or up and down) will be your best bet. This is the ideal choice for cooling multiple people in the same room.

If space is at a premium, a desk or table fan might be better suited. Desk fans are ideal for cooling one person at a desk or table – though some powerful models are more than capable of circulating air throughout a medium-sized room.

Handheld fans are useful, above all, for keeping cool while out of the house. Bear in mind that their batteries will need changing or recharging from time to time, so you should pack spare ones or a charging cable if taking one on holiday.

Every holidaymaker needs something like this in their luggage. That’s assuming they’re going somewhere warm.

Status’ lightweight, easy-to-use handheld fan delivers a decent amount of cooling power, considering its reasonable price. The blades are made of foam, and so are safe for use without a guard, even by young children.

This fan is available in a range of colours: clear, blue, red and black, and comes with a pair of AA batteries.

This has the feel of an under-the-radar classic product. John Lewis’ pint-sized foldable fan is comfortably the best handheld fan we’ve come across. The curved grill on the front is attractive, and as a whole the fan looks great, down to the bright blue power light on the handle.

We love this fan in the watermelon colour shown above, though you can also get it in blue, white or black.

It has three power settings, the strongest of which was really quite impressive. Its battery will need recharging after a few hours’ use – but that gives more than enough scope to keep yourself cool during the hottest part of the day on one charge.

Another factor that sets this fan apart from other handheld models is that it can rest on a flat surface when folded – meaning it can be plugged in and used as a table fan.

Sturdy, affordable and easy to use, this 16-inch pedestal fan from John Lewis is a solid choice for those seeking a reliable fan to provide cooling throughout a whole room.

Its curved, blunt-looking blades and the clunk of its speed buttons aren’t the stuff of a design devotee’s dreams, but they certainly do the job. Set it up in the corner of an average-sized living room or small office and the combination of its left-right oscillation and broad blades will comfortably direct air to anyone in sight.

A twist-clutch mechanism can be used to lower or raise the fan – similar to the mechanisms used for the same purpose on microphone stands and steamers.

Challenge’s pedestal fan looks smart in its chrome finish – a big improvement on most other pedestal fans under £50. It’s a little noisy when turned up to max, but you’ll probably find there’s no need to use that speed unless the fan is positioned quite far away from you.

With up to 50W of power driving its 16-inch impellor, it packs plenty of punch. This is great news if you’ve got a lot of space to cover, but it does mean the fan will consume more electricity than a weaker option. If you’re cooling people in a relatively small space, a less powerful fan would be best.

Like Swan’s retro desk fan (below), it requires assembly, so it’s not suitable for those who want a fan that’s ready to use out of the box.

Whether you’re jobbing around the house or just chillaxing, this option from toolmaker Ryobi could be ideal for keeping your temperature down. As the fan is cordless and equipped with a considerable vertical range of tilt, you can get it pointed the right way in practically any situation.

We’ve used it while sat on the sofa, and also during DIY jobs around the house. Its robust construction and easy-to-wipe material make it a great choice for use in messy environments.

One limitation is that the fan’s effect is especially focused in a straight line, due to its relatively small diameter and lack of an oscillation function. This makes it difficult for more than one person to feel the cooling benefit. For one person sitting or working in one place, it works brilliantly though.

This fan is designed to be used with Ryobi ONE+ lithium-ion batteries. You’ll have to pay extra for a battery and charger, but these could prove a good investment if you also intend to buy other cordless appliances such as a lawnmower, drill or leaf blower.

What a lovely fan this is. We rate Swan’s retro-looking desk fan as clearly the best-looking of all reviewed in this article. It is also among the most functional, with three speed settings ranging in effect from quiet and gentle to impressively powerful. Using the left-right oscillation function, we enjoyed a good spread of cooling throughout a fairly large living room.

The metal loops of the blade guard remind us a little of a spirograph or atomic diagram, which adds to the fan’s appealing mid-century-modern feel.

One point for DIY-phobics to bear in mind is that this fan requires assembly, which will involve a screwdriver and potentially a bit of swearing. The benefit to this is that the fan can be taken apart and put back in its box over winter, to save on storage space.

New for May 2019, the MeacoFAN 360 turns out to be quite a different proposition from its award-winning larger sibling, the MeacoFAN 1056AC. Its oscillation mode is left-to-right only, which means its range of air distribution coverage is lower, and better suited to cooling one person at a desk than several people throughout a room.

Admirers of Meaco’s range will be pleased to hear it does keep some of the attributes that make the 1056AC great, including its distinctive shape and quiet operation.

With 12 speed settings, the MeacoFAN 360 offers the versatility to cool air according to precise personal preferences. There’s also an off-timer, so you can set the fan to switch off after three hours of use.

The finish and build quality of the MeacoFAN 650 are impressive, from its faux leather handle to its pleasing digital controls. In this regard, it’s on a par with the larger and more expensive 1056AC.

As this fan has only one plane of oscillation and no tilt function, it is best used as a desk or table fan, placed on an even surface in line with the user.

In the gentlest of its 12 speed settings, the fan operates at about 20dB – about as loud as a whisper. If you’re looking for a fan to use while concentrating on work at your desk, this would be a superb choice.

The MeacoFAN 1056AC is right at the upper limit of our price range – but we happen to think it’s good value for money. We’ve encountered far less accomplished products on sale at far higher prices.

With two planes of oscillation (left-right and up-down), this fan does a superb job of directing air to all corners of the room. The current it creates can be firm and powerful, but never feels uncomfortably so.

It’s also spectacularly quiet – especially towards the lower end of its 12-step power scale. This has been recognised with Quiet Mark certification.

For a technologically sophisticated fan with the power to cool everyone in the room, look no further.

Our ibuys experts give impartial advice on a range of products after testing them in real-world conditions. Prices are correct at the time of publishing but may vary slightly afterwards. If you would like to suggest a product to test or have a question related to ibuys, please email us on [email protected]

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